Baltimore County police tells teens to stop playing 'Assassin Game': 'It creates a safety risk'
BALTIMORE - Teenagers are using water guns that look like real guns to play what is known as the "Assassin Game."
Police across the nation, including in Baltimore County, are urging teens to stop playing the potentially dangerous game.
It's a game of tag, played usually by seniors, where one student is given the name of another student and they have to "assassinate" each other with water guns.
Police told WJZ this game is causing a lot more problems than fun.
Baltimore County police say children are walking through parking lots and neighborhoods with water guns that look like real guns.
But the problem is that when officers respond to the scene, they can't tell the difference.
Baltimore County Detective Trae Corbin said some teens are using guns that look a little too real.
"It creates a problem," Corbin said. "It creates a safety risk. Officers that respond to the scene do not know whether that gun is real or a toy and officers treat it as a real weapon until it's rendered not."
WJZ asked some people what they think about the game.
"I think it's all really stupid," Baltimore County resident Adam Zack said. "I don't agree with none of that, especially if its fake guns, because there's real gun violence out here."
While some people say it portrays a bad message, others say it is just children being children.
"I think it's a harmless game," another person said. "There's like normal water guns that most people know what they look like that can be used. I think some kids go out of their way to make it more extreme."
Police say they have not received any calls of the "Assassin Game" happening in Baltimore County but they want to get the message out in hopes of preventing it.
